As the leading work life balance expert, Sam specializes in coaching the busiest women on the planet. Since earning her undergraduate and MBA degrees from Harvard, Sam has coached thousands of women - celebrities, entrepreneurs, top CEO's and professional athletes - who aim to perform at the highest levels in both their professional and personal lives. Sam is a bestselling author of four Random House books, a media personality, and sought after speaker. Sam hosts a weekly nationally syndicated radio show, is a contributor here at Forbes and has made hundreds of TV appearances including multiple stints on the Fox and Friends, Access Hollywood, CNN, The TODAY Show and Fox News. Sam and her family split their time between Los Angeles and New York.

9 Mistakes for Working Moms to Avoid at the Office

As working moms, we have some unavoidable time constraints which can lead to extreme performance pressure. How we behave at the office can make a world of difference to our success:

1. Limit the Family Photos

Having more than two photos on your desk makes people think that you would rather be somewhere else. (Double standard alert – for men, family photos have the opposite effect.)

2. Don’t Complain About Your Personal Life

Nobody at work needs to hear about your child’s stomachache, the babysitter who called in sick or the play date gone awry. Save it for close friends and make sure the rare personal phone calls are kept at a low volume. When colleagues ask about your family, keep it light and feel free to tell a funny story.

3. Maintain a Neat Desk

People are stereotyping about how busy your life is so don’t give them a visual reason to assume you can’t handle it all.

4. Be a Self-Promoter

When you or a member of your team succeeds, make sure people know. You aren’t going to win the hours game but you can ace the results game.

5. Make Work Friends

Take the time to create and maintain these friendships. They play a dual role of fulfilling you socially and being your eyes and ears within the company.

6. Attend the Office Party

More happens at office social events than we realize. To maintain your relevance and status within the company, treat work social events as anything but optional.

7. Opt Out of Office Gossip

It is a high stakes game and you have too much on the line. Just don’t do it.

8. Maintain a Structured Schedule

Have a consistent in and out time each day. If you aim to leave work by 5:20 and colleagues know that, they are less apt to schedule a 5pm meeting.

9. Network Outside of Your Company

You need to play long ball which means that networking should be a priority. Those industry contacts can be pivotal to your future career security.

Samantha Ettus coaches working moms through her nationally syndicated weekly radio show, best selling books, regular keynotes and television appearances. Connect with her on Twitter here.

Post Your Comment

Post Your Reply

Forbes writers have the ability to call out member comments they find particularly interesting. Called-out comments are highlighted across the Forbes network. You'll be notified if your comment is called out.